NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Illinois State baseball team is scheduled to open Missouri Valley Conference play at Belmont, which has won five-straight games, from March 24-26.
SCHEDULE (AT BELMONT)
Friday at 4:00 p.m. CT | VIDEO | LIVE STATS
Saturday at 2:00 p.m. CT | VIDEO | LIVE STATS
Sunday at 1:00 p.m. CT | VIDEO | LIVE STATS
ILLINOIS STATE PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: RHP Derek Salata (2.49 ERA, 32 K in 21.1 IP over four starts)
Saturday: RHP Cameron Mabee (3.45 ERA, 9 K in 15.2 IP over six appearances)
Sunday: RHP Jayson Hibbard (7.63 ERA, 10 K in 15.1 IP over seven appearances, one start)
ABOUT THE BELMONT BRUINS
Belmont was 39-20 in 2022, going 21-10 at home. The Bruins are 12-11 to start 2023, having won five-straight games. The Bruins are 10-6 at home. Belmont is also scheduled to face common non-conference opponents with ISU: Lindenwood, Western Illinois. The Redbirds and Bruins have met 17 times previously, with Belmont leading, 9-8. Their first meeting was in 2005. Illinois State has won three-straight against Belmont and won five of the last six. ISU won the most recent 2/17/19 meeting at Belmont. The teams were scheduled to open the 2021 season in Nashville, but the games were cancelled due to the weather.
Belmont is where Illinois State fifth-year head coach Steve Holm made his Redbird coaching debut (won 27-11 to open 2019 season, scoring 16 runs in the 11th inning).
WEATHER ISSUES
ISU has had games against Nebraska (3/12), Eastern Illinois (3/17-19), and Minnesota (3/22) cancelled due to weather. Illinois State's schedule is now down to 51 games with room to add five games to reach the maximum of 56. ISU's original schedule featured 55 games.
LOSS TO MINNESOTA
Illinois State allowed four runs in the 1st inning and the game's first six runs in a 10-3 loss Wednesday. Fifth-year senior Dylan Swarmer and second-year sophomore Noah Rabin each recorded three-hit games. ISU appeared to have come within 8-4 in the 6th inning, but Swarmer was credited with a triple after the home plate umpire ruled that he had not touched home plate on his 404-foot home run to LF.
HOME-OPENING WIN VS WESTERN ILLINOIS
Illinois State topped Western Illinois on Wednesday, 6-1, despite recording just five hits and posting just one RBI hit (fourth-year junior Greg Nichols double in the 8th inning.). Freshman Thomas Harper threw 5.2 scoreless innings with six strikeouts for his first career win while fourth-year junior Cameron Mabee threw the final 3.1 innings to post his first save of the season. WIU did not score until there were two outs in the 9th.
HOME OPENERS
The Redbirds have won four-straight home openers (won 4-3 in 11 innings to walk-off #19 Purdue in 2022 and end their run as the nation's last remaining unbeaten team). The 'Birds are 15-8 in home openers since 2000.
FIVE WITH TWO+ STEALS IN A GAME
Illinois State, which stole 37 bases in 2022 (.725 per game), already has 23 steals through 15 games (1.53 per game) in 2023. Fourth-year junior Shay Kubo, third-year junior Auggie Rasmussen (x2), and second-year sophomores Blake Stenger, Noah Rabin, and JT Sokolove each have a game with multiple steals. ISU is the only team in the MVC to have five players with a multi-steal game in 2023.
SALATA AND 10+ STRIKEOUTS
• Fifth-year senior Derek Salata has two 10+ K games (2/24 at Arkansas State -12; 3/10 at Nebraska -10). Salata is the 10th Redbird since 2000 to have multiple 10+K games. Eight of the nine were drafted.
-Derek Salata (x2) - 2023; TBD
-Colton Johnson (x2) - 2021;
17th Round to Oakland Athletics
-Brent Headrick (x4) - 2019;
9th Round to Minnesota Twins
-Jacob Hendren (x2) - 2015; undrafted
-Dylan Craig (x3) - 2014;
12th Round to Colorado Rockies
-Dan Savas (x2) - 2014 and 2011;
19th Round to Arizona Diamondbacks
-Jeremy Rhoades (x3) - 2014;
4th Round to Los Angeles Angels
-Corey Maines (x5) - 2011, 2010, 2009;
23rd Round to New York Yankees
-Neal Cotts (x8) - 2001 and 2000;
2nd Round to Oakland Athletics
-Brian Forystek (x3) - 2000;
4th Round to Baltimore Orioles
For the latest updates on Illinois State Baseball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdBaseball) and Instagram (isuredbirdbaseball), and like the team on Facebook (Illinois State Baseball).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
